China’s Belt and Road Initiative: strategic implications and international opposition

A Heritage Foundation report details the growing opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative that is particularly coming from the U.S., Australia, India and some Western Europe states. While European countries initially took a more favorable view of the initiative, there is now increasing concern that Beijing is employing a divide and conquer strategy in Europe, attempting to undermine a unified European policy on China. Beijing is accused of seeking to convert large-scale infrastructure investments in select eastern and southern European states, such as Greece and Hungary, into political influence in the region. Moreover, critics say China is trying to create an alternative world order, which does not place value on freedom, democracy and human rights, and the Belt and Road Initiative is rife with corruption, irresponsible borrowing and projects that lack transparency and quality assurance.